ADVISORY COMMISSION ON THE NEWHAM
CASINO- STATEMENT FROM MAYOR SIR ROBIN WALES
I am grateful to Sir Henry Brooke and the commission for this
informed report. Unsurprisingly, given that the commission is
chaired by a former appeal court judge and includes such eminent
experts, the report is based on strong evidence and examines the
full range of opinion.
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The commission found that there were significant concerns
about having a casino in Newham. But it also came to the unanimous
judgement that a casino would be likely to bring major regeneration
benefits without increasing the risk of downsides like increased
crime, anti-social behaviour and problem gambling.
This gives me a tough choice - do I go with an option that the
evidence and experts tell me promotes prosperity without harm to
the borough? Or do I decide to follow vocal opposition?
My role is to get the best possible deal for the local community
from the opportunities we are given - as well as listening to
Newham's views. So I think that we should give residents the chance
to see the information presented by the commissioners and to learn
more about the options. After making the evidence available, and
once residents have had access to the full facts, we will survey
them on their views.
If residents say that they think the casino will benefit Newham
and that they support it then we will start the work to choose the
best people to build it, following the commission's guidelines. If
they do not support it, then we will tell the Government that we
won't be bringing a casino to Newham.
Sir Robin Wales
Mayor of Newham |